toxicology testing soil before growing vegetables
MikeC
Posts: 4
Hi, Thankyou in advance for your help! This is my first post, likely to be first of many.
I bought my first house on 1st October 2012. After about 12months of work on the house I moved in and about this time last year started work on the garden, digging up all the grass to make it level. The finish line is in sight now with new patio, wall and a raised area I was hoping to use as a vegetable patch (about 8x6).
I learned from my neighbours that the previous owners had 5 cats and a couple of dogs! (They all disappeared on the occasions I went around to view the house and it was remarkably clean with all things considered). I was chatting to my neighbour and he had to get a toxicology report on an area of his garden to satisfy his mortgage provided as the guy who did the survey said he could smell cat mess on a particular area of his borders, apparently all the cats were going over the fence and doing their business there. The toxicology report came back saying there was some risk from e.coli e.t.c and as a precaution not to grow veg in that area for 5 years.
My question is, do you think there is a risk for me using an area of my garden (the previous cats home) as a vegetable patch and should I get it tested? has anyone done anything similar? The garden has been cat free (apart from the occasional visit) for about 30 months.
My neighbour spent a considerable amount of time finding someone who could do it and it cost about £450 for the results. I dont mind going down this route and paying for the test but some first hand experience from a gardener first would be much appreciated.
Thankyou in advance!
Mike
Posts
If the man next door was told to wait five years, then thats what I would do. No point in paying 450.00 to be told the same thing,
Hi Lyn,
Thankyou for the response. What you are saying makes sense. I`m hopeful that the cats may have used his garden to do their business rather than in their own.
Mike
after this amount of time it'll be fine, just don't do eating the soil or anything.
I would have thought that any microbes would die in a few months, as they are outside their host. However after a few years I woulid not worry. JUst make sure the critters don't poop on your crops. I have some netting, and a solar powered scarer. The jury is out on the latter, I need some more months data.
Thanks for the replies! we only have one visiting cat now and I havnt seen him doing his business. He generally appears when he hears something going on and is just being nosey. Everything is happily growing in my fathers greenhouse at the moment until the final decision is made.
I agree with Welsh onion
with the caveat that any pregnant mother should be particularly careful when gardening - using gloves to garden and cleaning hands with hot water and soap afterwards - it's not E-coli that I would be most concerned about, it's toxoplasmosis http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxoplasmosis/pages/introduction.aspx but that's always a risk when gardening.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes I`m just reading about toxoplasmosis now. I`m reading about different life cycles up to about 18months so I think the risk from the cats that previously lived on the property should be reduced considerably, still reading though!
But as Welshonion says, don't get too stressed about it. I grew up on a pig farm, had cats and dogs and gardened all my life even when I was pregnant. Good hand washing will deal with most things
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Funny you should mention that. An eye exam found that I have retinal scarring in one eye, fortunately it does not impact my eyesight. Apparently such scarring is thought to be caused in the womb by a toxoplasmosis infection caught by the mother.